health

How nonprofits help millions tackle their medical debt

15 Comments
By KAY DERVISHI

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More than half of adults in the United States have gone into debt because of medical or dental bills in the past five years

This speaks a lot about the terribly deficient way the US medical and insurance system is managed. No developed country should be in this situation.

The work of these non-profits is very positive, and will help a lot of people directly and indirectly. But it should not be necessary on the first place, the situation should be a priority for the government but instead it is left to be dealt by the efforts of particulars. Many other countries (including some on the developing world) have much more efficient and fair health care systems so it is clear it is not some kind of impossible problem.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Exactly, virusex.

There's a joke in America: "Apparently socialized medicine is so hard that only 32 other 1st world countries have figured out how to make it work."

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Charity is great in a Dickensian sort of way. But the reality is that socialized medicine is better than charity, and the U.S. would be a better place if it had it.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Many other countries (including some on the developing world) have much more efficient and fair health care systems so it is clear it is not some kind of impossible problem.

This is classic fantasy land,

Which country--China?

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

There are millions of medical bankruptcies. Healthcare in the US can be very expensive even with health insurance. My own American parents spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on healthcare and treatments. Fortunately, they were able to pay.

Tens of millions cannot afford basic healthcare.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Millions in the UK cannot get proper healthcare.

The quality there is such that people have to travel to other countries such as the US for major medical treatment.

At least in China patients can quickly be treated.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

The article is about the US. The EU/UK has 600 million people in universal healthcare.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This is classic fantasy land,

Which country--China?

Canada. Free healthcare for all.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

At least in China patients can quickly be treated.

Have you ever actually talked to a real Chinese person from China? Ask them what they think of their medical system. What they say about their system doesn't match what you do.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This is classic fantasy land,

Which country--China?

Of the three dozen most developed nations, those in the OECD, only the US, Switzerland and I think Netherlands do not single payer health care systems. The US has the highest cost per person health care in the world and Switzerland is number two. Some like UK are entirely government run. In others the health care providers, the doctors and hospitals, are privately owned but payment comes from a single insurance provider in the government. Others are a hybrid of employer or government paid health care. I believe this is how Germany does it. China actually has a hybrid system of government and private clinics and hospitals. Cities and Counties pay for most government paid health care. My family in Shanghai has health care paid for by the city of Shanghai. The central government in Beijing pays nothing.

The benefit of single payer systems is they eliminate armies of people involved in arguing over insurance payments (US hospitals have vastly more billing staff than hospitals in any other nation) and those armies of billing staff face an equally large staff at insurance companies looking for ways to reduce payments or bill the customer for what the hospital refuses to pay. And each insurer, sometimes each employer, negotiates different prices for the same exact procedure. All these armies of non-medical providing staff make the cost of health care in the US per person and as a proportion of GDP fully twice that of the rest of the OECD, while endowing the US with a bottom third of the OECD life expectancy and an infant mortality rate worse than many third world nations like Cuba. Most single payer systems have one price for each procedure they pay to whomever provides the treatment. That makes billing and administration very easy, meaning much fewer people and lower costs.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Hospital in America are legally obligated to forgive a certain amount of medical debt,if they received Medicare Google US Hospital Medical Debt Relief Obligation

That is not true. In the US, over half the personal bankruptcies are cause by medical debt, and fully 80% of those who file for bankruptcy due to medical debt had health insurance. Most hospitals give you 90 days to pay if your insurance doesn't and after that they turn you over to bill collectors. Medical debt has come close to forcing me into bankruptcy a couple of times. I managed to eek out payments and avoid it but it was a close thing. I had one doctor hound me for years for payment even though he saw me under a workers compensation case for an on the job injury. Legally he was forbidden from collecting from me (turned out my erstwhile employer didn't have the required workers comp insurance and stiffed the doctor - nice huh) but that didn't stop him from pursuing me for three miserable years messing up my credit rating in ways that kept me out of jobs (companies look at your credit rating before hiring you). The whole matter ended up at a state agency who finally shut the doctor and the collection agency down.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This is classic fantasy land,

Which country--China?

You can check any ranking of health service to get examples like France, Canada, South Korea, even countries like Colombia and Costa Rica can get a higher ranking because of accessibility and fairness of treatment (not to count parameters like maternal or perinatal death)

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

You can check any ranking of health service to get examples like France, Canada, South Korea, even countries like Colombia and Costa Rica can get a higher ranking because of accessibility and fairness of treatment (not to count parameters like maternal or perinatal death)

And your source is . . .none.

Let's see a source that reads, France, Canada, South Korea, Colombia and Costa Rica have much more efficient and fair health care systems than the US.

There is none.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

And your source is . . .none.

Again, any ranking can prove this is the case, you can use anyone you prefer, it is not even hard to come with them.

https://www.expatriatehealthcare.com/the-top-10-healthcare-systems-in-the-world-2022/

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/best-healthcare-in-the-world

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/slideshows/countries-with-the-most-well-developed-public-health-care-system

See? it was very easy to prove your opinion on the subject was based on ignoring this very well known fact.

You ignoring something does not mean it does not exist.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This speaks a lot about the terribly deficient way the US medical and insurance system is managed. No developed country should be in this situation.

By golly, for once I totally agree with you.

Funny how the Dems have shifted the election discussions, see sawing up until the election, yet if they win, the board drops to the ground on the side of Big Pharma and insurance. We know where the Reps stand.

Our BEST shot at reforming health care into a single payer system was Ralph Nader, who was quickly obliterated out of the election(s), yep, by the Democratic Party.

With health care, we have a one party system. Anyone who really cares about healthcare reform would never vote for either.

invalid CSRF

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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